Automatic winding machine



Nov. 17, 1964 w. L. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 1 I I l I I HUI! M fiH I: Q @NN ow. Ill: O I... l I 5 ow 58 6N X I 8 8. 8. m2 mg i we. 9 m mm 29 f fl MP1 Nov. 17, 1964 w. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29.' 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 17, 1964 w. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 380f AIR/b Nov. 17, 1964 w. L. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING momma Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 17, 1964 w. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 MAX! ONQ

Nov. 17, 1964 W. L. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 IFIG.9

8 Sheets-Sheet 6 4 IF I G. IO

illlllllllllllll Nov; 17, 1964 w. PERRY AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 Nov. 17, 1964 w. PERRY AUTQMATIC WINDING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 29, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 United States Patent 3,157,368 AUTOMATEC WlNDlNG MACHINE Winthrop L. Perry, Milford, N.H., assignor to Abbott Machine (30., 1116., Wilton, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Original application Sept. 2?, 1961, Ser. No. 141,884. Divided and this application July 19, 1962, Ser. No. 210,996

9 Claims. (Cl. 242--35.6)

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 141,884, filed September 29, 1961 and relates particularly to the construction and mode of operation of yarn end-finding mechanism and associated elements.

Various proposals to find broken or exhausted ends of 'yarn on cross-wound packages have involved rotating the package in a reverse or unwinding direction by frictional drive of the package by a roll, and presenting the mouth of a suction nozzle in between the package and roll near the line of nip between the package and roll. This region is a logical place for the end-finding nozzle during operation thereof because it is near this nip line that differences in attained diameter of different packages will make the least difference in position of the package surface relative to the mouth of the nozzle.

Nevertheless, the operation of an end-finding nozzle near the nip line has practical disadvantages in that this location restricts the size of the nozzle and is unfavorable to applying effective suction to the small end portion of a nearly empty conical package. It also interferes with use of the reciprocating thread guide that is desirable for certain winding operations.

The present invention departs from the more usual prior proposals by keeping the nozzle away from the region of the nip line and aiming the nozzle approximately at the axis of the package.

Thus, preferably the nozzle approaches the package along a path such that whether the package is large or small, the nozzle approaching the package will be aimed approximately at the package axis. Thus, the nozzle will meet the surface of either a large package or a small package while moving approximately toward the axis thereof.

To enable the nozzle to adjust itself to the different tapers of conical packages at different stages of completion, the nozzle is preferably pivotally mounted so that upon meeting the package it can turn any necessary amount to conform to the tapered package surface.

The invention preferably makes use of a yieldable lip at the mouth of the nozzle. After the nozzle has met the package and adjusted itself to the taper of the conical surface of the package, the nozzle is preferably withdrawn slightly so that the yieldable lip rests only lightly-against the package. Then during backward rotc tion of the package the lip is effective in brushing the trailing end of yarn to dislodge it from the surface of the package, and the lip is moreover effective in concentrating the incoming stream of air. Such lip may be either at the upper or lower side of the mouth of the nozzle.

Thus in the preferred construction, the nozzle has a rear or at rest position, and is moved from this position a variable distance depending upon how far along in its maximum path it meets and is stopped by the package, adjusts itself to the taper of the package and then is withdrawn slightly to the rear. Thereupon suction is applied to the nozzle and the package is driven in the reverse direction to find the end, following which the nozzle is returned to its rearmost or at rest position and rotation of the package ceases, the found end of yarn lies in position to be taken by a knotter. I

The movement of the end-finding nozzle through the desired path toward the package is simplified by the fact that the knotter itself moves to take the yarn end which 3,l5?,3h Patented Nov. 1?, i964 ice the nozzle withdraws from the package. Thus, in contrast to previous proposals, the nozzle can be free to pass through a region which will be occupied by the knotter during the tying.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing one of the winding units.

FIG. 2 is a diagram in the nature of an elevation of a winding unit having its friction drive roll driven in the reverse direction for rotation of the yarn package during end-finding.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in the nature of an elevation showing tending mechanism including package yarn end-finding mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a position of the package yarn end-finding nozzle different from the positions of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the package yarn end-finding nozzle.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view in the nature of an eleva tion with parts broken away showing means for operating the package yarn end-finding nozzle.

PIG. 7 shows portions of the structure of FIG. 6 partly in right side elevation and partly in vertical section as taken through the main axis of rotation of the driving mechanism of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in the nature of a projection of certain parts of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a diagram in the nature of an elevation of mechanism for controlling winding units to cause them to be driven in the reverse direction, stop, and then be driven in the winding direction.

FIG. 10 is a view taken from the right side of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevation taken from the point of view opposite to FIG. 3 showing the knotter and operating mechanism therefor.

FIG. 12 is a diagram in the nature of a plan showing cam-operated rods and valves.

As disclosed in the parent application Serial N 0. 141,884 a plurality of winding units W, for example twelve, are carried by a rotatable table 52 which is given a step-bystep movement to place the units one at a time at what may be called the twelve oclock position where a package end-finding nozzle, indicated geenrally at 4th is adapted to operate. A single head of the winding unit may, as

- shown in FIG. 1 and as described in more detail in an-.

known manner, be faster when near the tip of the conical package than when near the base of the conical package so as to tend to accelerate the taper of the conical winding as the package grows.

The package is shown as sitting on its drive roll and mounted within a generally lJ-shaped yoke clamped by extensions 99 to a rod 1% which is both rotatable and axially slidable in bearings llhla and 10111, the axis of which rod is inclined both vertically and horizontally to the line of nip between package and drive roll or to the drive roll axis 85x. A bracket EM on the yoke carries the inner member of aspherical bearing 185 and a stud 106 carries the similar inner member of a spherical hearing 108, and the two spherical bearings are connected by a link 109, which has the result of constraining bearing to move an are around bearing 108 as the package grows, thus causing a positive retraction of the cone in the direction away'from its smaller end as the package grows and its taper increases, as explained in said divisional application.

The winding package drive roll 85 (as well as any separate cam for the thread guide 72 when a separate thread guide is employed as shown) is driven by a conical frictional drive wheel 180 which is normally engageable with a lower winding drive disc 131,

FIG. 1 shows the normal drive of the package in the winding direction as the disc 131 drives the wheel 189. The wheel 180 is mounted in a rockable support 185, FIG. 2, and by means of any suitable stop mechanism, such as that described in the parent application, the support 185 is rocked to an intermediate or neutral position to disengage the wheel 180 from disc 131 when the yarn breaks or exhausts. Suitable linkage such as 219, 229 then permits a normallyupwardly urged pin 227 to rise slightly. When the Winding unit with such pin in this raised condition reaches the eleven oclock position, winding-tending control mechanism detects this raised condition and as a result institutes a cycle of tending operations among which is the end-finding operation. The end-finding operation along with numerous other operations, is under control of a cam shaft 285 which makes one revolution for a cycle of tending operations. A portion of this shaft 235 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 wherein it is shown as operating a cam 238b to operate a lifter rod 238a and raise and lower a plate 238 at the twelve oclock position. Plate 238 acts upon the same pin 227 just referred to, to raise this pin further, whereupon through the linkage 229, 219 the support 185 is further swung to cause the wheel 180 to receive a reverse drive from the upper disc 135 at the twelve oclock position. This drives the package driving roll 85 backwardly, and the package accordingly.

Before explaining the construction and operation of the package end-finding nozzle, it may be explained that the end of yarn which is found and held by the package end-finding nozzle is to be tied by the knotter to either a broken end of yarn which extends from the formerly unwinding bobbin of the Winding unit to the tension device and slub catcher of the unit, or else is to be tied to a new end of yarn of a new bobbin supplied from one of the bobbin pockets 662 of a rotatable bobbin magazine which surrounds the end-finding operating mechanism. The operation of the end-finding nozzle is the same in either case, and FIG. 3 assumes that the found end from the package P is being'tied to the yarn from the old supply bobbin on the winding unit. In this situation, a bobbin yarn end carrier 353 which is slidable upon a track 354 will have intercepted the old yarn extending from the old bobbin, as the winding unit travels between the eleven and twelve oclock positions, the bobbin end carrier Will have risen to its upper broken line position of FIG. 3 and in that position have delivered its yarn to a bobbin end suction tube 380 in the forward broken line position thereof in FIG. 3, and the suction tube 380 will have swung to its right or full line position of FIG. 3 carrying the old bobbin yarn with it.

The construction of the bobbin end carrier 353 and its operation by linkage 351a, 351b, 351s from a cam 350 on the main cam shaft 285, as well as operation of the suction tube 380 in conjunction therewith, may be as described in the parent application.

FIG. 3 shows the package end-finding nozzle 400 in two positions, a full line position in which it is fully retracted away from the package P, and a broken line position in which its lip 401 is in engagement with the package P. It will be noted that the knotter indicated generally at 500 seemingly interferes with this broken line position of the nozzle 400, but such interference does not in fact occur because while the nozzle is in or moving across the space traversed or occupied by the knotter, the knotter is in a retracted lower position, such as the lower position shown, out of the way of the nozzle.

The package end-finding nozzle indicated generally at 400 tapers to a narrow entrance slot at its end which faces the winding package. Either edge of this slot is provided with a flexible sheet rubber lip 401, adapted by light engagement with the surface of the reversely rotating package to loosen the outer end of yarn. The lip may be serrated at its edge which faces the package to increase this effect. Suction is created within the nozzle by the release of air from a high pressure air jet 402 Within the nozzle, jet being supplied with high pressure air through a flexible tube 403 connected to an air valve operated by cam shaft 285. A removable pervious bag 405 is adapted to collect yarn ends from the nozzle. The nozzle is pivoted at 407, FIG. 5, to an underlying mounting plate 4438 to permit the nozzle to adjust itself to conform to the various tapers of packages of various degrees of completion.

The nozzle is caused to approach the package through a path the last part of which involves the nozzle bearing a substantially constant directional relation to any package encountered in such last part of the path, irrespective of the attained size of the package. To illustrate, the nozzle is kept aimed so that regardless of whether it travels a certain distance and there encounters a large package or travels a greater distance and there encounters a small package the nozzle will in either case point to the axis of the particular package, and be normal to the surface of that particular package. Since the package axis differs considerably in position due to the support of the package on its drive roll, the axis of a small package being lower than that of a large package, the nozzle will be at a lower level when it meets a small package than when it meets a large package.

The nozzle mounting plate 408 is pivoted at 410 to a lever 411 having arm portions 411a, 4111: and 4110, FIG. 6. Lever 411 is pivoted at 412 so that pivot point 410 receives an arcuate motion around 412. The portion 411b of lever 411 has pivoted thereto at 415 the left end of a lever 416 carrying near its middle a cam follower roll 417 running in a cam groove 418 of rounded generally flattened V-configuration. The right end of lever 416 is connected by a link 420 to pivot point 421 on an exten- Sion 408a which is rigid with the mounting plate 408 of the nozzle.

Lever 411 is provided with a hub 411d carrying integral therewith a disc 430 adapted to be driven frictionally by a friction driving disc 432 having an operating arm 432a. A lever 435 is pivoted at 436 to the friction disc operating arm 432a. Lever 435 is urged by a spring 438 so that its left end abuts a stop pin 439 on arm 432a. To move the nozzle to end-finding position the right end of lever 435 is raised by a rod 444 which is operated by cam 441 on the horizontal cam shaft. The driving connection to the nozzle can, however, yield when the nozzle meets the package because the friction drive to disc 430 can slip. Thus the nozzle will halt at the package regardless of the size of the package. The stroke of the cam 441 is made suflicient so that even with the longest travel of the nozzle to meet the smallest package there will be some remainrng stroke of the cam in the direction to continue raising lifter rod 444.

It is desired that the nozzle shall not press hard against the package during end-finding rotation of the package but on the contrary shall move back a little so that its rubber lip only touches the rotating package lightly. A rod 448 is pivotally attached to lever 435 at 449, FIG 6, and carries a collar 450, FIG. 3. Near the end of upward movement of the lifter-rod 440, the collar 450 strikes a fixed part of the frame, causing rod 448 to detain the lever 435 at the point 449. With the lever 435 detained at 449, further rise of the lifter-rod 444 rotates the lever 435 in the counterclockwise direction causing pivot point 436 to be depressed and accordingly rotating the friction disc operating lever arm 432a a little in the clockwise direction, and soretracting the nozzle away from the surface of the package until the package is engaged only lightly by the rubber lip of the nozzle.

A blast of high pressure air is admitted to the jet 402 by a valve operated by a cam on the horizontal cam shaft. The winding package is driven in a reverse or unwinding direction by engagement of the conical wheel 180 with the upper drive disc 135. The end of yarn on the package is drawn into the nozzle. The nozzle is then'restored to its rearward position, away from the package, by the rod 444 being lowered by a further cam 441a on the horizontal cam shaft 285. In this restored position of the nozzle, the found yarn end lies in position to be taken by the knotter which is indicated generally at 5%.

The return movement of the nozzle is to a definite point because a shoulder on the disc 432 can engage an abutment 430a on the disc 434) to move the disc 430 positively in this direction.

For simplicity of illustration it has not been attempted to show the nozzle 40%) in FIG. 3 as pivoting on its mounting plate 408 to conform to the taper of the package when the package is conical, but this is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 5. Moreover, it will be understood that with conical packages it is within the scope of the invention to mount the nozzle so that its slotted mouth is tilted a little downwardly toward the smaller end of the conical package so that the mouth is in general conformity to the inclination of the axis of the conical package.

In the fragmentary showing in FIG. 4 the nozzle mouth is shown as having moved farther from the retracted position than in FIG. 3 and as engaging a very small diameter circumference which might be that of an almost empty cone at the tip portion thereof, the nozzle being aimed substantially at the center of this circumference. A comparison of FIGS. 3 and 4 shows that the nozzle has met both the large circumference and the small circumference in approximately the same relation.

Looked at in its broken line position of FIG. 3, the nozzle has risen considerably above its full line retracted position. The linkage which includes the pivoting of the nozzle at 410, the lever 416, cam follower roll 4?.7, cam 418 and link 4-20 has considerably turned the nozzle about the pivot 41!) in a direction to raise the nozzle mouth more than is due merely to the pivoting around the point 412. In later parts of motion toward the position of FIG. 4 the nozzle will both lower and project farther toward the winding unit which it is tending.

The knotter indicated generally at 590 is preferably of the type usually used in the automatic winders of Abbott Machine Co., Inc., employing two coaxially disposed rotating tying and cutting bills or beaks, operating in synchronism. The yarn-manipulating elements within the knotter are also preferably operated relative to the bills so that rotation of the bills ties the knot known as the fishermans knot. United States Patent No. 2,264,784 and corresponding patents of other countries may be referred to as showing the general scheme of tying this knot.

Mechanism is provided for moving the knotter 5% in timed relation to the motion of the nozzle, between the lower position of FIG. 3 where the knotter is out of the path of the nozzle 4% and the upper position of FIG. 3 Where the knotter ties the yarn taken from the package by the now retracted nozzle.

Suitably, the knotter 5th) is mounted on a carrier bar 501, FIG. 11 movable in an inclined path guided by rolls 502. A lifter rod 516 operated by cam 515a on the cam shaft 235 lifts and lowers the carrier bar and knotter in timed relation to movement of the nozzle by cams 441 and The power for operating the knotter may be transmitted to the knotter by mechanism described and claimed in another divisional application for Knotter Operating Mechanism, filed herewith.

Thus, the shaft 506 which drives the tying bills and yarn manipulating elements of the knotter carries fast thereon a gear 505 and a latch disc 597, the latter having a shoulder 6 508. A rack bar 510 meshing with the gear 5% can rotate' the shaft 506 in both directions. A detent 512, pivoted on the knotter and engageable with shoulder 508, normally prevents clockwise rotation of the shaft.

The rack bar Slit, which need have teeth only at its upper portion, is movable relative to the carrier bar Sttl, limited in the downward direction by a collar 52.2 on the rack bar striking a stop element 522a on the carrier bar.

As the carrier bar Shit rises for the knotter to take the yarns, rack bar 51% is held elevated relative to the carrier bar by the action of the detent 512 upon the latch disc Stll'. As the knotter nears its upper position, a collar 518 on a trip rod 519 which controls the detent 512 strikes a stationary stop 520 as shown in FIG. 11. This releases the latch disc 507, allowing the rack bar, by its weight, to drop and turn the gear 5% to operate the knotter.

After the knot has been tied, the carrier bar 501 is allowed to return to its bottom position. As this occurs, a lug 514 on the rack bar engages and is detained by a stationary stop element 515 on the supporting frame. As the carrier bar 501 continues its downward movement, the rack bar 510 being detained by stop element 515, the rack rotates the knotter gear 5% in the counterclockwise direction, restoring the mechanism of the knotter and allowing the detent 512 to be moved to detaining position relative to the shoulder 508 by action of a compression spring 512a which acts between the collar 518 and a bracket 512b which moves with the carrier bar 501. Energy, represented by the weight of the rack bar, has thus been stored for the next operation of the knotter. FIG. 11 shows the lug 514 in three positions, an upper full-line position corresponding to the full line position of the rack bar 510, a somewhat lower broken-line position which shows how the rack bar has dropped in operating the knotter, and finally a bottom broken-line position in contact with the stop element 515.

Thus, retraction of the knotter to its lower, out of the way, position in effect recharges the knotter drive, and the final movement of the knotter in the opposite direction, that is, in the direction in which the knotter takes the yarns, trips the knotter drive.

It has been mentioned how the horizontal cam shaft 285 operates the cam 238b for controlling the reverse driving of the package during end-finding, the cam 515a for operating the lifter rod 5% for the knotter, and the cams 441 and 441a for raising and lowering the rod 444 which operates the package yarn end-finding nozzle. As specifically disclosed in the parent application, various other functions of the machine are controlled by the same horizontal cam shaft 285. Itis only necessary to mention here the air valve 6%, operated by cam 699a for admitting air blasts to the Venturi tube 462 of the package end-finding nozzle, this valve being normally closed and only operated when the horizontal cam shaft operates in tending a winding unit.

I claim:

1. In an automatic winding machine, a yarn package drive roll, means for driving said roll in a winding direction and means for rotating the same roll in an unwinding direction, a package holder permitting the package axis to recede from the roll as the package grows, an end-finding nozzle having a mouth for drawing in a yarn from the package, and means for moving the nozzle toward a package on said roll until the nozzle is stopped by the package periphery materially distant circumferentially from the line of nip between package and roll, the axis of the package on said roll having a variable position dependent upon the attained size of the package, the direction of movement of the nozzle mouth in the region in which said nozzle is stopped by the package being approximately toward the package axis, notwithstanding said variable position of the package am's.

2. In an automatic winding machine, a yarn package drive roll and means for rotating the roll in an unwinding direction, an end-finding nozzle having a mouth for drawing in an end of yarn from the package, a pivotal mounting for the nozzle permitting upward and downward movement of the nozzle mouth, means for moving said nozzle and said pivotal mounting from a retracted position toward a package on the roll, and means for swinging the nozzle about said pivotal mounting during such movement of the nozzle and mounting to raise the nozzle mouth during initial movement from retracted position.

3. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, means for moving the nozzle from a retracted position into engagement with the package, said moving means including a friction drive adapted to slip when the nozzle meets the package surface, and means operative after the nozzle meets the package for moving the nozzle to a position still near the package such as to relieve pressure of the nozzle against the package.

4. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-"inding operation, an end-finding nozzle, means for moving the nozzle from a retracted position a variable distance, dependent upon the size of the package, until the nozzle is stopped by the package, and means for thereafter imparting a smaller reverse movement to the nozzle so as to relieve pressure of the nozzle against the package while leaving the nozzle in an effective end-finding relation to the package.

5. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, means for moving the nozzle from a retracted position into a position in association with the surface of the package, said moving means including a friction drive adapted to slip when the nozzle meets the package surface, the extent of movement of the nozzle thus depending upon the size of the package, and means operating irrespective of the extent of such movement to impart a smaller reverse movement to the nozzle so as to relieve pressure of the nozzle against the package while leaving the nozzle in an effective yarn-end sucking relation to the package.

6. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, means for moving the nozzle against the surface of the package so that the nozzle is stopped by the package, means for thereupon moving the nozzle in a reverse direction to a position still near the package such as to relieve pressure of nozzle against package, and a lip of resilient flexible material at the mouth of the nozzle adapted to brush against the surface of the driven package when the nozzle is so positioned.

7. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, and a knotter, the knotter having an operating position, means for retracting the knotter from said operating position and for moving the knotter to said operating position, means for moving the nozzle into end-finding relation to the package and for withdrawing the nozzle carrying the found end of yarn from the package while the knotter 1's retracted from said operating position, the knotter taking said found end in moving to its said operating position.

8. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, a pervious container for collecting yarn ends, a conduit disposed between and communicating with the nozzle and container, a jet in the conduit for creating suction, and means for moving the nozzle, conduit, jet and container as a unit to carry the nozzle into association with the package and into a retracted position for operation on the found end of yarn between the nozzle and package.

9. An automatic winding machine including means for driving a yarn package in an unwinding direction for an end-finding operation, an end-finding nozzle, a mounting for the nozzle, means for moving the mounting toward and away from the surface of the package, the nozzle having a slotted mouth adapted to extend generally lengthwise of the surface of the package, and a pivotal connection between the nozzle and the mounting permitting the nozzle to adjust its position in conformity to various degrees of taper of the surface of the package.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN AN AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE, A YARN PACKAGE DRIVE ROLL, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ROLL IN A WINDING DIRECTION AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SAME ROLL IN AN UNWINDING DIRECTION, A PACKAGE HOLDER PERMITTING THE PACKAGE AXIS TO RECEDE FROM THE ROLL AS THE PACKAGE GROWS, AN END-FINDING NOZZLE HAVING A MOUTH FOR DRAWING IN A YARN FROM THE PACKAGE, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE NOZZLE TOWARD A PACKAGE ON SAID ROLL UNTIL THE NOZZLE IS STOPPED BY THE PACKAGE PERIPHERY MATERIALLY DISTANT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY FROM THE LINE OF NIP BETWEEN PACKAGE AND ROLL, THE AXIS OF THE PACKAGE ON SAID ROLL HAVING A VARIABLE POSITION DEPENDENT UPON THE ATTAINED SIZE OF THE PACKAGE, THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE NOZZLE MOUTH IN THE REGION IN WHICH SAID NOZZLE IS STOPPED BY THE PACKAGE BEING APPROXIMATELY TOWARD THE PACKAGE AXIS, NOTWITHSTANDING SAID VARIABLE POSITION OF THE PACKAGE AXIS. 